The oldest sex toy discovered to date is a dildo made of whalebone. The piece which was dated to be approximately 106,000 years old, was discovered in Iceland. The dildo was ornate and beautifully carved with the image of an unknown goddess. It was most likely carved by a man as a gift for a women.

2500 B.C. Egyptian artifacts depict nearly naked female dancers holding very large phallic shaped objects. Experts have speculated that this dildo art was a depiction of a ritual or ceremony honoring the god Osiris and other fertility gods.

500 B.C. In ancient Greece was where the first documented use of dildos was discovered. What we know today as dildos were called olisbos and were fashioned mainly of stone, leather, or wood.

500 B.C. Ben wah balls which are now considered a women's toy were originally designed to enhance the pleasure of males during sex. One ben wah ball was used at first and then gradually a second ball was introduced into the vagina. Now ben wah balls are not just for the sexual pleasures of men, they help to increase strength of the pelvic floor muscles and in turn increase pleasure for women during masturbation or sexual intercourse.

350 B.C. Olive oil is mentioned in ancient writings as one of the first sexual lubricants. It was also thought to be a form of natural contraception though its effectiveness is easily debated.

655 A.D. A Chinese woman called Lady Wu Chao ordered sheets of reflecting glass to be put all around her living quarters. It can be assumed that it was so she could watch herself and her lover.

1400’s in renaissance Italy, olisbos become become known as diletto which can be literally translated as "delight". Documents discovered demonstrate that they used a liberal amount of olive oil for lubrication of these dilettos . The term dilleto was then translated to dildo as the term became popular in the west.

1600’s The Chinese develope the first clitoral stimulators and cock rings. Most were made of ivory while others were made with eye sockets from various animals including fish.

1700’s European spas invent and installed a form of gravity fed water systems that allowed the to create a form of high pressure water flow that is similar to today's jacuzzis and hot tubs. Experts believe that these gravity flow water jets were made for the pleasure of women. Many of whom where known to spend long amounts of time leaning against the pressure of the streaming water.

1791 Marquis De Sade a french writer, wrote and published many erotic stories. The stories birthed the term Sadism, which is now defined as the sexual enjoyment of cruelty and bondage and has become popular with many. This form of sexual fetish ushered into the sex toy realm items like whips, chains, handcuffs and pain inflicting devices. This was also thought to be the time that it became a popular menu item in brothels. The treatment of submissive males with sadist sexual activities is now a popular and often criticized form of sex.

1844 Charles Goodyear while doing research accidently discovered how to vulcanize rubber. This process makes rubber much stronger and much more durable. Not only did this turn out to be a great discovery for the automobile industry, it eventually helped bring about the evolution of more modern sex toys. Condoms, dildos and other toys were made from the material because of its durable nature.

1882 saw the invention of the first electromechanical vibrator. It was a very large steam powered device meant to be used by doctors only in the treatment of women. It was invented by Dr Joseph Mortimer Granville for women suffering from what was then called hysteria. Hysteria is a term that literally means “suffering uterus” in Latin. The vibrator device was used by doctors along with other devices to supposably relieve women suffering from hysteria. Since at that time women were not known to have any sexual sensations they were treated for hysteria with applications of the mechanical device to the vaginal area.

1890-1900 Motion pictures were first made and along with it the birth of the first adult pornographic films which also included women masturbating with various objects.

1899 McClures magazine accepted and placed the first advertisement ever for an electric vibrator. In the ad the vibrator was said to cure headaches, neuralgia and wrinkles. The magazine must have certainly known that women would find other ways of utilizing the device.

1900-1920 Women's lives were revolutionized and changed forever by the popularization of battery and electric powered household appliances thus making the drudgery of keeping house a bit easier. The vibrator followed shortly and was fifth in line of modern electric appliances even ahead of the vacuum.

1917 KY lubricating jelly was invented for Gynecologists doing pelvic exams. It would not become available to the public until early in the 1980’s and even then was advertised with caution.

1918 Sears Roebuck catalog introduces vibrators for the treatment of hysteria. It was listed as a necessary and very satisfying aid that every woman could benefit from. It was said to treat headaches, anxiety, and irritability. They purportedly sold thousands to women who wanted to treat themselves.

Mid 1920’s The term strip tease came about and was used in men's clubs. Women would strip out of their clothing and would glue nipple covers or pasties on as well as wearing a small crotch cover similar to g string underwear of today. The women strip tease artists would also use props like fans, furs, capes and feather boas. These props became popular an brought with it a whole new group of items that could be used for sexual pleasure.

1930-1940 The materials used to create sex toys were revolutionized by the discovery and utilization of the Hevea tree. The tree is the source of what would eventually become known as latex rubber. The lighter, more flexible rubber would again change and sex toy materials became even more comfortable for use.

1952 The American Medical Association banned the use of vibrators and dildos for medical use. Their claim was that there is no ailment called hysteria and they would not recognize the treatment of an unfounded illness.

1953 Hugh Hefner published the first Playboy magazine. This helped to liberate women and make sex toy purchase more common as well as accepted. This advancement in publishing paved the way for all x rated materials of all kinds including the distribution of sex toys.

1971 The first classes instructing on the use of sex toys was taught by a woman named Betty Dodson. Her series of masturbation workshops helped many women to break out of their “proper society” roles, breaking the mold and creating a steady stream of liberated women more in touch with their needs and how to satisfy them on their own.

1977 A sex therapist named Joanie Blank opened the first sex toy shop ever called “Good Vibrations” in California.

1995-1999 Alabama and Georgia outlaw the sale of sex toys and ban them completely from within the state borders claiming that women have no fundamental or constitutional right to items for sexual pleasure. Thankfully the laws were overturned a few years later.

Today sex toys like dildos and vibrators are evolving on an almost daily basis. Materials for fabrication of sex toys now include many high tech plastic and rubbers as well as different glass products . The advancement of vibrators today includes remotely operated vibrators as well as clothing with vibrators built right into them.